Felt-punching machine



April, i4, 1931.

P. R. BETTlsoN 1,800,499

FELT PUNCHTNG MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1927 4 sheets-sheet 1 April 14, 1931. P. R. BETTlsoN 1,800,499

FELT PUNCHING -MACHINE Filed Feb. s, 1927 4 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY lNvgNToR l April 14, 1931- P. R. BETTlsoN 1,800,499

I FELT PUNCHING MACHINE Filed Feb. s, 1927 4 sheets-sheet 5 lpnr'il 14, 1931. P. R. BETTISON FELT PUNCHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1927, 4 sheets-sheet 4 lNl/zyToR. By c) A TToRNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE PERCY R'fBE'ITISON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGrIN'fXR.` TO AMERICAN HAIR & FELT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FELT-PUNCHING yMACHINE Applicationled February 3, 1927. Serial No. 165,651.

The invention relates to. felt-punching machines.. 4 A

Prior to this invention, in order -to satisfactorily make a punched-felt product with the machines now in use, it has been necessary to punch the felt to a burlap or other backing sheet and this has -prohibited the use of punched-felt in many fields Where the burlap or backing sheet was not required and unduly increased the-expense of the product or was detrimental. The object ofthe present invention is to punch-felt together a bat or felt during its passage through the machine,`and morel particularly to provide a construction in which the bat is held between two relatively movable grids during the Y punching operation whereby-the bat may be formed into a punched-felt product without the use of a backing or intermediate reinforcement of burlap or other material.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more,

particularlyv deined by claims at the con clusion'hereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation view of a machinevembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation view similar -to Fig. 1 showing the parts in another position, with parts of the machine broken away; Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation View of a part of the frame and the drive shaft bearmg; Fig. 4 is a side elevation view with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the machine with4 parts broken away;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1 to show they upper grid and its guides;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1 showing apart of the lower grid; A' Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional View through the needle-board and grids showing them in one position;

Fig. 11 is a view similar. to Fig. 9 showing the parts in another pos1t1on;

'the needle-board and,carrier.

Fig. 12 .is a view similar-to Fig. 9 showing the parts 1n another position;

Fig. 13 1s a detail sectional Referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 6, the numeral 14 deslgnates the side frame members of the machine `which are secured together by transview through verse tie-rods 15 to form a rigid frame upon which the grids and the needle-board are supported. A drive'shaft 16 is mounted in bearings-17 secured to the upright side of frame members 14 and has two ily-wheels 18 mounted thereon between said frame members and a drive pulley 19 adapted to be cony nected by a belt with any suitable source of'- power. Upright rods 20, mounted at their lower ends in bosses on the frame' members 14, are arranged in pairs at each end of the machine and are braced at their upper ends by transverse tie-rods 21 clamped thereto by nuts 22,

A carrier frame in the form of a wide steel channel 23 has angle bars 24 secured toits ing-rod 32, said rod beingadjustably secured to the shaft 27 by nuts 33 and 34 on the threaded end thereof on opposite sides of said shaft, and these nuts, because of their adjustment, permitting the relative length of the connecting-'rod to be varied so as to change the operating position of the carrier 23.

The lower big end bearing 35 of the connectingrod is mounted on an eccentric 36 secured to the shaft 16. The intermediate portion of one of the connecting-rods is preferably in the form of a rectangular frame of a width substantially the same as theneedleboard so as to permit the insertion or with` drawal of said board from this end of the machine.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that as the shaft 16 rotates the eccentrics 36 impart motion to .the connecting-rods 32 at each end of the machine and cause the carrier 2'3- to be 'moved up and down and slide u on the frame rods 20. The needleboard 3 having the needles 39 mounted therein is bolted or otherwise'suitably secured to the web 40 of the carrier or channel `23 and hence the needle-board moves with the carrier.

An upper.grid 41 is associated with ,the carrier and comprises a series of rods o'r thin bars 42 suitably spaced apart by blocks 43 and secured together by bolts 44 connected with end plates 45 at each end of the machine. This upper grid is guided in its movement by the rods 20, with which the notched portions 46 of the plates 45 slidably engage, andv by upwardly extending guides 47 secured to the side frame members and operating within the notched front portion .48 of the plates 45. The grid thus formed and doubly guided is yieldingly suspended from the carrier 23 by means of rods 49 secured in pairs at one end to the plates 45 and extending through the laterally extending leg of the angle bars l25 and providedwith a collar 50, a spring 51 heing interposed between said collar and the Vangle bars 25, with the result that when the carrier and needle-board move up and down the upper grid will move therewith through the spring suspension provided but at the same time have movement relative to said needle-board. The springs 51 are used to absorb the shock on the upward movement of the grid 41. Thus, when the needle-board and grid are in their upper position the upper grid hangs from the springs 51 and as the needle-board moves down and engages the stock, as hereinafter described, the rods 49 slide upwardly, moving the acollars 50 upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, so that after the upper grid strikes the stock there is a further downward movement of the needleboard.

4As the parts of this machine are heavy and the speed is quite high, means are provided to relieve the parts of undue shock from vibration, consisting of the springs 51 and springs 52 through whichthe rods 49 pass and are mounted between washer plates 53, the lower washer plate seating on the laterallyextending leg of a transverse angle member 54 secured by bolts 55 to the upper ends of the rods 20, a nut 56 on the upper end of the rod 49 engaging the upper washer 53 and putting the spring 52 under compression as the grid moves to its lower position and tending to absorb the shock as the grid nears the end of its downward movement. A spring 57 is interposed between each of the slide blocks 36 and the plates 45 and this spring forms a yielding transmission pressure connection between the carrier'23 and the grid 41.

' The lower grid 58 is formed of a plurality of narrow bars 59 spaced apart by spacing blocks or strips 60 clamped together at each end by bolts 61 extending through upright 'of the upper ends 63 and 64 is for the purpose of preventing the possibility of breakage of needles as these beveled ends act to deflect the needles, should they strike against the grid members. The lower grids are also shown as held together intermediate their ends and at the lower side thereof by bolts 66 and spacing blocks 67.

The stock, in the form of a loose bat received from the carding machines and formed in known manner, may be introduced into the machine in any suitablemanner, for example,'by means of an endless conveyor 68.

The feed of the stock from the conveyor 68 acts to push the punched stock through the machine though it will be understood that this may be further assisted by a belt conveyor 69 upon which the punched stock is carv ried and which tends to pull the punched stock away from the machine.

The operation of the machine is best shown in Figs. 10 to 12, inclusive. When the needle board 37 is in its upper position the grid 41 is also in its upper position and a relatively large opening is provided between the grid 41 and the `grid 58 into which the bat is introduced. As the needle-board 37 starts on its downward movement the grid 41 moves with it, through theV spring drive previously described, and moves in advance of the lneedles and strikes the stock 65 and before the needles have moved down throughthe grid mempressed between the grids 41 and 58, the compression increasing as the pressure builds up in the springs 57 until the bars 42 of the grid 41 reach a stop position which, occurring as it does through only a part of the stroke of the carrier 23, permits the needles 39 to Vmove down through the spaces in the grid bars 42 into and through the stock 65 during the remainder of the downward movement of the carrier 23. Then, as the carrier moves upcomplete the cycle of operations. As thesey the relative movement of said carrier and/ cycles of operations are repeated the stock is advanced through the machine and the barbed needles, repeatedly engaging the stock as it moves through the grids, act to interlace the fibres of the' stock together to produce the completed product. i

I desire to to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except insofar as such limitations are specified in the claims or necessitated by the prior art.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a felt-punching machine, the combination with a movable needle-board and its needles, ofy a grid movable relative to said needle-board and in advance of the same, means for moving said grid and exerting a positive pressure thereon to compress the felt bat during the punching operation of the needles, and means for feeding the felt bat alone directly through the machine.

2. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of relatively movable grids, means for moving said grids relative to each other to compress the felt hat directly between them, a movable carrier provided with punching needles and a yielding drive connection between said carrier and one of said grids to permit said needles to move relative to said grlfls to needle-punch the fibres of the stock itself together while held be'liw :en'said grids, and means for' feeding the felt bat alone directly through the machine.

3. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of a vibratory carrier provided with 5 /.-punching needles, a grid yieldingly connected with said carrier for movement therewith and relative thereto, another grid cooperating with said first-named grid for holding the felt bat directly therebetween as the needles punch the fibres thereof together during first-named grid, and means for feedin the felt bat alone directly through the mac ine.

4. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of a pair of grids, means for moving said grids relative to each other to intermittently receive a 7felt bat therebetween and intermittentlypsitively compress and hold the felt bat alone directly therebetween, a needle-board` provided with punching needles,

means for moving said board to force the needles into 'and out of the stock while compressed by said grids, and means for feeding the felt bat alone directly through the machine. p

5. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of a support, a grid mountedthereon, guides on ably mounted on said guides, aneedle-board provided with needles, a carrier for said movable grid and needle board, means for suspendingsaid movable grid from said carrier for movement relative thereto, a spring interposed between said movable grid and carrier said support, a movable grid slidl.

whereby said grid and carrier move to ether and pressure is exerted directly upon t e felt bat between the grids, means for guiding saidv carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier, and means for feeding the felt bat alone directly through the machine. y

6. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of a pair of relatively movable grids, a carrier, a needle-board removably secured to the carrier, means for reciprocating the carrier and needle-board including rods having bifurcated portions to permit the tion into or withdrawal of the needle-board from the machine, and means for suspending one of said grids from the carrier to move with the needle-board and permit the needleboard to move relative thereto. 7. In a felt-punching machine, the combination of relatively movable grids for receiving and holding a felt bat alone directly between them, a needle-board provided with punching needles and movable relative to the grids to needle-punch the fibres of the stock itself together while held alone between the grids, means terminating at the entrance end of the grids for feeding the felt bat thereto,

and a continuously moving conveyor exte-l rior of said grids for withdrawing the punched stock therefrom. y

In testimony whereof, I ax my signature.

PERCY R. BET'IISON. 

